WHAT-EVER they might say, you can bet your life the players involved in this weekend’s Carnegie Challenge Cup quarter-finals have been thinking about it for a while.

I’m sure most of them will have played the ‘one game at a time’ card, but the fact is the Cup is special.

It’s still every player’s ream to play in the Challenge Cup final.

A look at the Super League table gives a fair indication of the quality of ties we can expect this weekend.

The way the draw’s come out this year means that the eight competing teams currently occupy eight of the top nine places in the league. And the only one outside the top eight – St Helens’ opponents Hull KR – would probably argue they’re really a ‘top eight’ side given their improvement in form in recent weeks.

The most eagerly anticipated match will be Saturday’s clash between Warrington and Wigan.

What a contest that promises to be! Until that draw came out of the hat, both sets of fans will have fancied their team’s chances of doing the double this year.

By about 6pm on Saturday, only one of the two will be still in that particular race.

You can expect some ferocious tackling in the early stages of that game.

There are two big packs going head-to-head and they will both be out to set a platform.

It’s certainly not an easy match to pick. But I’m going to take Wigan to sneak it.

The other live TV game is Hull against Leeds on Sunday.

Those two only played each other on Friday with the Rhinos winning 20-0.

But that game was at Headingley whereas Hull will have home advantage this time.